This research work reports on the potential of bagasse, a solid waste from sugar factories, to produce activated-carbon (AC) as an adsorbent. The activation was conducted under 500, 600, and 700 °C using steam as the activation agent to produce AC500, AC600, and AC700, respectively. The prepared-materials were characterized to understand their elemental content, surface morphology, thermal properties, functional groups identification, surface area, and pore size. AC700 provided the highest surface area of 592.36 m²/g and indicated the contribution of mesopores distributes along 1.5–8.0 nm of pore size. Therefore, an adsorption test was conducted with AC700 as adsorbent. The results show that methylene blue (MB) adsorption reached equilibrium after 30 min of adsorption time. The adsorption isotherm applied to a monolayer Langmuir isotherm was fitted by linearization, resulting in a constant R² of 0.999. The MB adsorption to AC700 favorably occurred, as proven by the Freundlich parameter 1/n of 0.881, which is less than 1. The Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm confirmed that the adsorption proceeded through physical interaction with adsorption energy of 3.536 kJ/mol.

Numerous analytical approaches have been developed to determine histamine levels in food samples due to its health consequences. Consuming histamine over the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated 50 mg kg^-1 limit would result in chronic toxicity. Consequently, the present study discusses a novel electrochemical approach to evaluate histamine levels in fish products via a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) on an electrode surface. The film was produced with electropolymerized polyurethane (PU), which maintained the histamine compound. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was applied to verify the MIP manufactured in this study. The capability of the polymer was measured by assessing its electron shifts with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was also employed to validate the sensing method. The MIP/screen-printed electrode (SPE) and non-imprinted polymer (NIP)/SPE recorded a linear response ranging from 1 to 1000 nmol L^-1 at the 1.765 and 709 nmol L^-1 detection limits. The sensing technique was subsequently utilized to determine the histamine levels in selected samples at room temperature (25 °C). Generally, the sensor allowed the accurate and precise detection of histamine in the fish samples. Furthermore, the approach could be categorized as a simple technique that is low-cost and suitable for on-site detections.

This study aims to determine the effect of STEM-based guided inquiry (STEM-BGI) on light concept understanding and scientific explanation. The design of this research is a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test control group design. The difference in effect between STEM-BGI and guided inquiry design (GID) is analyzed using the one-way MANOVA. The impact of the STEM-BGI on light concept understanding and scientific explanation is analyzed using effect size. The correlation between conceptual understanding and scientific explanation is tested by bivariate correlation analysis. The result of this study indicates that the STEM-BGI learning model is more effective in enhancing light concept understanding than the GID with an effect size coefficient of 0.81 in the high category. The STEM-BGI learning model is more effective in enhancing scientific explanation than the GID with an effect size coefficient of 0.78 in the medium category. There is a positive correlation between understanding the concept and scientific explanation. Mastery concepts and scientific explanations can help students to solve more complex problems using multidisciplinary STEM.

In this research, zirconium dioxide, ZrO 2 , was synthesized from high-grade zircon sand that was founded from Bangka Island, Sumatra, Indonesia. The zircon sand is a side product of Tin mining plant industry. The synthesis was conducted by caustic fusion method with considering definite stoichiometric mole at every reaction step. Yttrium has been doped into the prepared zirconia by solid state reaction. The prepared materials were then being analyzed by X-ray diffraction equipped with Le Bail refinement to study its crystal structure and cell parameters. Electrical conductivity was studied through impedance measurement at a frequency range of 20 Hz-5 MHz. Morphological analysis was conducted through Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) for elemental analysis. The results show that the prepared yttrium stabilized zirconia, YSZ, was crystallized in the cubic structure with a space group of P42/NMC. The sintered zirconia and yttrium stabilized zirconia at 8 mol% of yttrium ions (8YSZ) show dense surface morphology with a grain size less than 10 µm. Elemental analysis on the sintered zirconia and 8YSZ show that sintering at 1500 o C could eliminate the impurities, and the purity became 81.30%. Impedance analysis shows that ZrO 2 provide grain and grain boundary conductivity meanwhile 8YSZ only provide grain mechanism. The yttrium doping enhanced the conductivity up to 1.5 orders. The ionic conductivity of the prepared 8YSZ is categorized as a good material with conductivity reach 7.0110-3 at 700 C. The ionic conductivities are still lower than commercial 8YSZ at various temperature. It indicates that purity of raw material might significantly contribute to the electrical conductivity.